News

Crooks in 8 countries tap NZ bank accounts with skimmed ATM card data

May 2, 2012

Using counterfeit cards striped with data skimmed from New Zealand bankcard holders, thieves withdrew cash at ATMs in the Dominican Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, Thailand, the U.S. and South Africa.

A New Zealand Herald articlesaid that detectives were still searching for two men who entered the country earlier this year and used skimmers at ANZ and National Bank ATMs in four cities to steal card information.

The scam, which was discovered in late March, ultimately affected 500 customers of the two banks. All have been reimbursed for their losses, which totaled NZ $1 million ($812,400) .

Police in Auckland identified two men caught on security cameras whom they believe installed the skimmers. However, they told The Herald that the two had most likely left the country before their scam was discovered.

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